Quantitative Data Analysis for Employee Productivity at Southlands Components PLC

Subject of assignment

Subject of assignment:

Quantitative Data Analysis. Details are attached of a management research commission involving the analysis of quantitative data. The data set is available on the module’s Canvas web-page. The required data set is available in IBM SPSS format, with the file name “Southlands Components”.

You are required to submit a report answering all of the various questions (i.e. all parts of Questions 1-6) at the end of the attached material. Please note that Questions 7-9 are bonus questions. You are not required to answer them, but doing so may be to your advantage.

Presentation of assignment:

Please submit your assignment in word-processed form through Turnitin on the Canvas web-page. To allow for the assignments to be marked anonymously, please do not write your name on the actual assignment, but include your University identification number on the assignment and on the cover sheet.

Please identify clearly which question you are answering (there is no need to begin each question on a new sheet). You may import tables and graphs from any analysis you undertake using SPSS or another appropriate package. However, such tables and graphs should be relevant, and will need to be properly presented and explained.

Assessment criteria:
The following will be particularly important in assessing the assignment:
• clarity of explanation of methods used and results obtained
• use of appropriate statistical methods and effectiveness of use
• overall presentation of results (including appropriateness of selecting material for tabular and graphical presentation and quality of such presentation – note that choosing the most appropriate tables and graphs for inclusion will be likely to gain more marks than simply reproducing all possible tables and graphs)
• accuracy, clarity and conciseness in reporting results

• length – it should be possible to produce a thorough answer of a very high standard of 1,500 words (+/- 10%).

Availability of advice:
In order to maintain equity among different students, the module instructors will not provide any individual advice or interim feedback to students attempting this assignment in stages over the Semester. However, questions of clarification will be dealt with and will be added to a “frequently asked questions” bank on the Canvas web-page. Also, a Canvas Forum has been set up so that you can ask questions and make comments that other students (and the course instructors) may wish to respond to. Such questions or comments may be made anonymously if you wish to do so.

Presentation of assignment

Background
Southlands Components PLC (“SCP”) is a medium-sized business with one factory in the Sussex area. The company produces electronic sub-assemblies for a wide range of commercial and consumer products. Some of the work is relatively unskilled, but a significant part of the work involves the use of highly technical skills, as SCP often undertakes design work for its customers rather than simply manufacturing to existing specifications. SCP employs a total of about 1,500 workers in its Shoreham-By-Sea factory.

SCP has been experimenting with different methods of improving output. In March 2019, SCP introduced a special training programme for its employees. Half of the employees received no training and the other half of the employees received one week of training.

Before the training sessions, Southlands Components PLC assessed employee productivity (“initial_output”). After the final training sessions, they measured employee productivity (“final_output”) again and employee satisfaction.

SCP wants you to investigate whether training and employee satisfaction have been effective in increasing employee output. SCP has provided you with a data set of a random sample of 102 workers.

Required:
Write a report to the management of Southlands Components PLC, that covers the following questions. Please note that each question has several issues that you MUST address. Failing to address all of the issues in a given question will result in not receiving full marks for the question. You may write your report as a continuous essay or as separate responses to the following questions, but you MUST write in complete sentences:

1. Provide a brief critical review of the relevant methods used by SCP to assess whether employee training and employee satisfaction have an impact on employee productivity. You should discuss the strengths and weaknesses of SCP’s research methods. Please limit this discussion to 300-400 words.

2. Briefly identify the quantitative method that you think should be used to assess whether training and employee satisfaction have been effective in increasing employee output. Please limit this discussion to 200-300 words.

3. Assuming that the employee satisfaction scale is unidimensional (i.e., has no subscales), compute the average of the items (total scores) for the employee satisfaction scale. Report the descriptives (means and standard deviations) and internal reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha) for the employee satisfaction scale. In addition to the descriptive statistics and internal reliability, your report should include a description of how participants responded to the items (i.e. describe the response scale) and how the total employee satisfaction score was computed, as well as a description as to whether the scale is reliable. Please limit this discussion to 75-125 words.

Assessment criteria

4. A. Examine the distribution of the “final_output” and employee satisfaction (total scores) data. Look at whether there are any extreme cases (outliers) for “final_output” and employee satisfaction (total scores). Comment on both the distribution of the “final_output” and employee satisfaction (total scores) data and whether there are any outliers in the data. Explain any adjustments that you make to the “final_output” and employee satisfaction (total scores) data. Please limit this discussion to 100-150 words.

 B. Display the relationship between employee satisfaction (total scores) and “final_output” in the appropriate graph. Please label your graph appropriately.

C. Compute a series of Pearson’s correlations to examine the relationships between “training_condition”, employee satisfaction (total scores), and “final_output” Write up the  results of the analysis in APA format. Please limit this discussion to 75-125 words.

 D. Compute a multiple regression model to examine the simultaneous effects of  “training_condition and employee satisfaction (total scores) on “final_ouput”. Write up  the results of the analysis in APA format. Please limit this discussion to 100-150 words.

5. What statistical test should be used to investigate if the difference in “initial_output” and “final_output” varies by “training_condition”? Provide a brief justification for your choice of statistical test. Please limit this discussion to 75-100-words.

6. Please provide a brief summary of your conclusions that you have drawn from the data, including any recommendations that you can provide to Southlands Components PLC for improving employee output, including any changes you would make to the study design if Southlands Components PLC were to test the impact of training on output again. Please limit this discussion to 200-300-words.

Bonus Questions:
Answering the questions below are not required, but each question is worth one bonus point each if you answer it correctly. Answers should be limited to a few sentences and no more than 75 words each.

7. What should be submitted (and receive approval) before you engage in ANY research project with human participants (even if you are not collecting the data yourself, as with the Southlands Components PLC dataset)?

8. What test could you perform to test whether the employee satisfaction scale is in fact unidimensional? Please provide a brief justification for your answer.

9. Why can’t you definitely say that employee satisfaction causes an increase in output even if it is a significant predictor in the multiple regression model? What research method would you have to use to test the causal impact of satisfaction on output?